Rewind Through 2015 | Highlights From the Year

2015, you were fun!

Happy Sunday! We are only three days into 2016 already! I have been fixing this up since last year (it is still so fun to say) and fun getting to see that actually happened in that year. It was my goal to take more pictures and I sure did because I had so many to sort through. For me I have a pretty good 2015. It was way better than my 2013 and 2014 and I feel I grew so much and accomplished what I wanted to. I mean there were highs and lows and a roller coaster of emotions ranging from very happy times to extremely sad ones that brought me down but the overall vibe of my 2015 I would say was more than I could ask for. I may warn you it will get sappy but it was nice seeing and reminiscing of things that happened in my life through the pictures I took from my point of view. So today I am sorting through my highlights to show you my best memories I had in 2015!

The beginning of my 2015 started off with a two week winter vacation to the northern part of the country. I hadn’t been there before or I might have when I was really young but don’t remember so I’m glad I got to go back and experience it through much older eyes. I went with my dad, my cousin and his family which was his wife and son and stayed at my cousin Lynn’s house. We explored so many places and I got absolutely so many pictures that it filled my memory card and each day I had to import them to my laptop. I did a travel diary of it here so day 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6. I’m glad I have the travel diary to look back on and it was actually
refreshing to read and made me remember the small things I forgotten even though it was only a year ago. The overall highlight would be spending time with my family and just seeing new places.

Next came family. I spent a lot of time with my parents and though I am still staying at heir house and seeing them it is still rare for us to go out and do stuff together. We go through a lot of personal stuff and though I don’t like mentioning it here I do fell thankful I have them by my side. The first was a family picture at a family friend’s baptism, dad’s birthday brunch, my grandmother’s 88th birthday and celebrating Easter and a bunch of selfies with my dad because he is obsessed not me.

My 22nd birthday had to be a highlight and please sing the song because not much longer till I can enjoy the tune and say I’m feeling 22. I went out with my dad to get cupcakes and balloons at the mall and I was really happy. I didn’t mention it on my birthday post here but while driving home we got in a car accident and wrecked the car. We were lucky and we didn’t get hurt but it was very traumatic and at the time I didn’t want to speak of it but now that months have passed my anxiety over it has lessened. To make up for it my cousins threw me a surprise party and bought me a cake and balloons and it turned out okay.

Next we have something pretty big for 2015 in which I finished fashion school at SOFA. It was a huge accomplishment and I am much more proud of it than when I graduated college. I had the best time, made some great friends and got to do something I was passionate about. I made my own magazine and did the photography and layouting myself as the final project and it was something I was proud of. I got to do some awesome shoots and explore that side which I never knew I would. I must dedicate a post to all my fashion shoots one of these days because I am really pleased and think I should put them up finally.

The next ones I am just going to add together. I bought a camera. I bought a camera through the money I had made through blogging. That is mind blowing and for me huge because this little space I write my thoughts on made me enough for a down payment on a camera and is making me money to pay it off each month. I would never believe if you told me this 4 years ago when I created this thing. It was possible and it happened so thank you to whoever is reading this because you are the one who made it possible for me to even do that. I made a longer post about it here. Secondly, I started Youtube. Of course once I got the camera I knew it was the next step I wanted to take. It was my goal and I never knew I would go through with it because 1) I didn’t have a proper camera and 2) I thought of myself to be too shy but turns out it was really fun and I enjoy doing it so hope to continue and grow my channel more in 2016. The third is being so proud of my blog here. It has grown so much and I have ups and downs with it but there is nothing better coming on here and just doing what I love. Another thing is I was mentioned in the top 50 Beauty blog graph here. I think that is so cool and at number 18 too. The last is again kind of Youtube related and that is I met Heart from That’s Heart last July and got to have her in my vlog. The day was so awesome and I got to meet a blogging friend in person and I gush more about it in the post I did so go there if you want more sappiness.

Another highlight moment of the year was starting dance again. This was both happy and bitter sweet. I started in June a few weeks after I finished fashion school. I was excited to start ballet and tap again because ever since I was little it was my hobby. I went back and I stuck with it until November when I displaced my hip and could not move at all and so many bad things happened to my family and me that I couldn’t continue. It hurt me that I couldn’t do what I loved and I couldn’t even sit or walk without being in so much pain. Thankfully it healed on it’s own and yeah sometimes it does hurt if I twist wrong but I am doing far better than I was. The good thing that came out of it though was I lost a lot of weight and saw the difference from pictures at the beginning of the year to now. I can’t believe I went down two sizes and I didn’t even try. So even though I injured my hip I got a few pounds shed from it so I guess sliver lining. I am still not back and took 2 months off and hopeful 2016 I can go back and just do it as my excessive again. I do recommend it if you want to start adult ballet just don’t over do it like I did who thought she was a professional and could bend her body and hip the wrong way.

My little nephew or godson. I don’t know what to call him but he is technically my cousin’s son so I don’t know what you really call our relation. He lives with us at the apartment in the back with my cousin Than who is married to Lynn. He turned 2 and we threw a pretty big bash for him in September. I can’t believe how big he is and seeing all these milestones is really magical. I don’t have any younger siblings or grew up with anyone of that age so he was the first I saw grow up. I saw him walk and talk for the first time and now he has his own personality and it is the cutest. I remember holding him as a newborn and how delicate he was and now he knocks me over at the ball pit. He will always be a highlight no matter what and I love him too much.

I guess going to new places and seeing new things is considered a highlight. As I said I wanted to take more pictures and focus on photography so I have quite a few landscape and other kinds of photographs around. Now that I have a new camera there is no excuse not to practice.

I think going to beauty events will always be included in these highlight reels of mine. Last year I went to my first and it turned in to going to so many. This year I focused more on my blog alone like reviews and outfit pictures and also some things outside the blog like dance and fashion school so I didn’t go to too many events this year. I did end up going to 3 which is good and I enjoyed all of them but the Pond’s event I was invited to was the real highlight. I got to go to the media launch and got a box full of free makeup and skincare, got to meet 5 of the fashion bloggers I follow and enjoyed an event like that was. I remember going to the Forever 21 store opening and that being such a highlight but this year it goes to the Pond’s event for sure.

The holiday season. It seems like it was only yesterday. When in fact it was just about two weeks ago. I made the most and tried to do more fun things this year instead of last year. 2014 seemed like I didn’t even celebrate it or even cared but this year I got back into the spirit and having a 2 year old experience and kind of understand things makes it so much funner. We went to see Santa together, got to open gifts up together and I did so many other holiday themed shoots and projects. I bought my own Christmas tree this year and decorated it, bought me a few festive clothes and just had a happy holiday for once.

That was my year. A lot of highlights, a lot of ups and downs and a lot of memories made. I hope you stuck with this ramble and I do love reading these so hope you enjoyed mine. Give yourself a pat on the back if you read this far and kudos to you. I can’t wait to see what 2016 brings and what I write about next year. I just put out my goals for the year on the first if you missed it you can read it here and also yesterday’s outfit rewind to see what I wore throughout the year. It was a definite fun one to write. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday and let me know what your highlights from the year was and if you have your own post I’d love to read it. Until next year I guess with a rewind of what 2016 looked like.

What did your year look like?